careful management in business have brought him
prosperity, and his life record illustrates what may be
accomplished by the man of ambition and determined purpose.

Mr. Ward was born in Fond du Lac
county, Wisconsin, February 6, 1854, a son of Thomas and Bridget
(Ferguson) Ward, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of
New York. The father came to America when a young man and in 1848
located in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, among its pioneers. He
entered eighty acres of heavily timbered land from the government,
being compelled to pass by the prairie land and take a claim which
would supply him material to build a house and also furnish him
fuel, as he had only forty dollars in money. He built a log cabin,
and while clearing his land also worked in a brick-yard to a
limited extent in order to gain some ready money. At length he
developed a good farm and is now worth twenty thousand dollars. He
is living retired on the old homestead which is operated by his
sons. His first wife died in 1864 and he afterward wedded Mary
Reilly, a native of Ireland, who died in the spring of 1897. There
were seven children by the first marriage and two by the
second.

John M. Ward, the eldest of the
family, was reared on the old homestead and early trained to
habits of industry and economy. He assisted in the arduous task of
clearing the wild land and developing new fields, and in the
district schools of the neighborhood acquired his education. He
remained with his parents until his marriage, which was celebrated
in 1878, Miss Aurilla Matteson becoming his wife. She was born and
reared within three miles of the Ward homestead in Fond du Lac
county, and by her marriage has become the mother of four
children, George R., Ella, Harry and Percy.

In 1879 Mr. Ward brought his
little family to Fillmore county and located on a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, two and a half miles west of Exeter,
which he purchased from the railroad. It was a tract of raw
prairie for which he agreed to pay five dollars and a half per
acre. In six years it was free from all indebtedness and he then
sold it for twenty-eight hundred dollars, after which he purchased
his present farm, consisting of the west half of section 13,
Geneva township. The purchase price was six thousand, half of
which he paid down and the balance in six years. He has made many
excellent improvements, has erected a good residence and
substantial barns and out-buildings, has secured the latest
improved machinery and has upon the place all the accessories and
conveniences of the model farm. In addition he owns eighty acres
on section 14, making four hundred acres in all. This has been
acquired entirely through his own efforts, and for his success he
certainly deserves great credit. His business methods are
honorable, his labors energetically prosecuted and he has not only
won prosperity but has gained the confidence and regard of all
with whom he has had dealings.

In politics Mr. Ward has always
been a Republican, and has ever been active in support of its men
and measures. He has served as assessor of Geneva township, and is
now serving his second term as a member of the county board of
supervisors. For many years he has been a faithful and exemplary
member of the Masonic fraternity and also holds membership with
the Modern Woodmen of America. For twenty years a resident of
Fillmore county, he has ever been loyal to its interests and well
deserves mention in its history.

HOMAS
E. BENNETT.--Among the leading attorneys now living in York
county, may well be noted Thomas E. Ben-

452

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

nett. He has resided in York for about sixteen years and
his record as an honorable and upright citizen is without a
blemish. He was born in Clark county, Indiana, November 9, 1847, a
son of William N. and Abigail (Nealey) Bennett, the former a
native of North Carolina and the latter a native of New York. The
father was a Methodist minister. He moved to Indiana with his
parents when quite young, and entered the ministry in that state.
He moved to Illinois in 1857 and settled in Adams county and made
that his home until his death, which occurred in 1888.

Thomas H. Bennett, the subject
of this sketch, was educated in Illinois, in the common schools
and the Shaddock College. He began reading law in 1874, at Quincy,
Illinois, and in January, 1877, was admitted to the bar and at
once began the practice of his profession. He continued in Quincy
until 1882, and then moved to York county, Nebraska, and has made
his home here continuously since. Mr. Bennett is a man of marked
distinction in the community, and his standing as a good citizen
is irreproachable. Several important offices have been entrusted
to his care, and he has never failed to justify the confidence
placed in him by the people. He was elected police judge of the
city of York in 1885, and in the fall of the same year he was
elected county judge of York county and served for two years and a
half. He has been a member of the York city council and for one
term was president of the same. He was city attorney for three
years and has also performed the duties of many other minor
offices. In connection with his professional work he also handles
real estate and loans on farm property. He is a man of excellent
business capacities, having met with eminent success in all the
enterprises in which he has embarked. At whatever line of business
he has engaged he has made many friends by his push and energy. In
politics he affiliates with the Republican party but is an
independent thinker.

Mr. Bennett was married in 1887
to Miss Victoria L. Brown, a resident of York county, and their
wedded life has been blessed by the advent of a family of six
children, all of whom are living. Our subject is a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America and also of the Knights of Pythias, and
has held the position of grand representative in the latter
fraternity for three terms.

ILLIAM
CHERRY.--There is no man in Stromsburg precinct, Polk county,
wider or more favorably known than Mr. Cherry, who came to this
section of the country in poineer (sic) days, and is recognized as
one of the important factors in its progress and development. His
farm, located on section 20, township 13, range 2, is one of the
most highly cultivated tracts to be found in the county.

A native of Canada, he was born
in Mallorytown, Leeds county, February 28, 1835, a son of Leon and
Philinda (Althouse) Cherry, also natives of the Dominion, whence
they removed to New York about 1841, spending two years near
Pulaski. For nine or ten years they made their home near
Gouverneur, St. Lawrence county, that state, and in 1854 emigrated
to DeKalb county, Ill., settling near Syracuse, where the
following six months were passed. In the fall of 1854 they went to
Lafayette county, Wisconsin, where they spent their remaining
days. They were the parents of three children: Thomas, William,
and Fred Alfred, who was a soldier in Company I, Sixteenth
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry during the civil war, and was wounded
in the right shoulder in the first day of the battle of
Shiloh.

William Cherry accompanied his
parents on their various removals until they finally located in
Wisconsin, where he be-

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

453

gan life for himself. Hardly had the echoes from Fort
Sumter's guns died away when he enlisted April 22, 1861, as a
private in Company H, Third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and with
his regiment he went to Hagerstown, Maryland, where they were
armed. They arrived at Sandy Hook, that state, on the day of the
battle of Bull Run, and participated in the following engagements:
Harper's Ferry and Bolivar Heights; did provost duty at Frederick,
Maryland; was in the Shenandoah Valley under Banks; participated
in the battles of Buckston Station and Winchester; was in the
campaign under Pope; in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Beverly
Ford, second battle of Bull Run, Chantilly and Antietam, where Mr.
Cherry received a gunshot wound through the right wrist, being
confined in a hospital at West Philadelphia until his wound had
healed. On rejoining his regiment they went into winter quarters
at Stafford Court House, and when the campaign of the following
year opened, they took part in the battles of Chancellorsville,
Beverly Ford and Gettysburg. They were sent south to Stevenson,
Alabama, chasing Wheeler's cavalry, and then proceeded to
Wartrace, Tennessee, where Mr. Cherry was granted a veteran
furlough after re-enlisting. He rejoined his command at Tullahoma,
Tennessee, and participated in the battles of Resaca and New Hope
Church, where he received a gunshot wound through the left thigh.
He was first sent to the Nashville hospital, but on the 27th of
June, 1864, was transferred to the hospital in Murfreesboro.
Gangrene setting in, he was confined there until January 8, 1865,
when he was ordered to rejoin his regiment at Goldsboro, North
Carolina, where General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered. The troops
then proceeded to Raleigh, and on to Washington, District of
Columbia, by way of Richmond, and participated in the grand review
at the capital. At Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Cherry was mustered
out, July 18, 1865, and returned to his home after over four years
of arduous and faithful service, during which time he often
displayed great heroism. At Antietam he was twice wounded, and at
New Hope church received three wounds. He was promoted to the rank
of corporal and later to sergeant of his company, being mustered
out as such.

After the war Mr. Cherry
returned to his Wisconsin home, but a year later went to Oil City,
Pennsylvania, and afterward spent two years at Meadville, that
state. On again going to Wisconsin, he was married April 8, 1868,
to Miss Jane Holcomb, who was born in Connecticut, September 6,
1835, a daughter of G. C. Holcomb. They have become the parents of
three children: Mary Alice, now the wife of Edward Bloomquest, by
whom she has one child, Florence; Frank S., who married Nettie
Surley, and has two children, Willie and Burness; and Azel,
deceased.

Mr. Cherry continued to reside
in Wisconsin until 1873, when he came to Nebraska, and has since
lived upon his present farm in Polk county. For ten years his home
was a sod shanty, but it has long since been replaced by a
comfortable frame residence. On locating here his farm was
unbroken prairie land, and the first year he raised only a small
crop of sod corn, and the second year the grasshoppers destroyed
everything except his wheat. With characteristic energy he
overcame all obstacles and difficulties, however, and now one
hundred acres of the one hundred and sixty acre tract have been
placed under the plow and it yields a bountiful return for the
care and labor bestowed upon it. Since attaining his majority he
has been a stanch supporter of the men and measures of the
Republican party, and he has creditably served as a member of the
school board in district No. 34. He is one of the leading and
prominent members of J. A. Mower Post,

454

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

No. 9, G. A. R., of Stromsburg, in which he has served as
commander, junior and senior vice-commander, officer of the day,
and quartermaster for many years.

RS.
PERMELIA LONG, a worthy representative of one of the oldest and
most highly esteemed families of Seward county, was born in
Kentucky, in 1826, and is a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Bivens)
Rogers, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Ireland respectively
and were married in Kentucky. She is the third daughter in their
family of ten children, of whom seven are still living. From
Kentucky the family removed to Indiana and later to Illinois, and
in 1862 her parents came to Nebraska, locating on a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres in J precinct, Seward county, where they
spent the remainder of their lives. The father, who throughout
life followed agricultural pursuits, died May 13, 1876, the mother
in April, 1867, and the remains of both were interred in Union
cemetry (sic) in J precinct.

As there were no public schools
during the childhood of Mrs. Long, she was deprived of educational
advantages. On the 1st of March, 1843, in LaPorte county, Indiana,
when only seventeen years of age, she was united in marriage with
Samuel Long, a native of Virginia, where he was reared and
educated in the public and high schools. His parents, however,
were Pennsylvanian people. At the age of twenty-one he went to
Indiana, and after his marriage continued to engage in farming
there for some years. In the spring of 1861 he and his family
started with teams for Seward county, Nebraska, crossing the
Missouri river on the 10th of June. He took a homestead of one
hundred and sixty acres in J precinct and with the assistance of
his children converted it into a most desirable farm, operating it
quite successfully until his death, which occurred April 4, 1887,
when he had attained the age of seventy-five years and four month.
He was a true husband and loving father and had a host of warm
friends throughout this region. Politically he always supported
the Democratic ticket and his aid was never withheld from any
object he believed calculated to prove of public benefit.

Mrs. Long can relate many
interesting incidents of pioneer days when this section was a
desolate prairie inhabited mostly by Indians, and when buffaloes,
antelopes, deer and prairie wolves were numerous. For a short time
the family lived in a little log house minus both doors and
windows, but soon a new double log house was erected, making a
very comfortable home. They commenced at once to break and improve
the land, and soon acre after acre was placed under the plow until
the entire amount was converted into a rich and productive farm.
Mrs. Long, who is a most estimable lady, beloved by all who know
her, now makes her home with her youngest daughter.

Six children, one son and five
daughters, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Long. Elmira E., born July
12, 1844, married Doc Nihart, by whom she has one daughter, and
died January 16, 1867, being laid to rest in Union cemetery.
Lavina N., born March 23, 1846, is the wife of Simeon Snow and
lives in Ruby, Nebraska. Elva S., born May 16, 1848, married
William Waite and also lives in Ruby. Their marriage, which was
celebrated September 23, 1866, is the first recorded as performed
in Seward county. Simeon A., born January 12, 1854, died at the
age of six years, six months and three days, and was interred in
Union cemetery. Loila, born August 6, 1861, was married June 27,
1887, to F. Gowey and lives in Ruby. Luena Catherine, born
February 11, 1867, was married March 16, 1887, to Irvin Neff, and
they

ARLOW
S. BALLARD, a leading and substantial citizen of Arborville
township, is now the owner of an excellent farm of two hundred
acres, where he located in 1881, and from the uncultivated soil
has built up a valuable homestead, which will remain as a monument
to his industry and enterprise for generations to come. While
laboring for his own advancement he has in nowise set aside the
interests and well-being of the community around, but has aided
all enterprises for the public good.

Mr. Ballard was born in Broome
county, New York, October 12, 1827, and is a son of Erasmus and
Jamison (Pellett) Ballard, native of Vermont and Connecticut,
respectively. During early life they removed to New York, where
the father followed farming throughout his active business life.
He died in 1862, but the mother is still living. Of their two
sons, one is still a resident of the Empire state.

The subject of this review
passed his boyhood and youth in a manner similar to most farmer
boys of the period, aiding in the work of the farm and attending
the public schools when his services were not needed at home. He
followed farming in New York until 188, when he emigrated to
Nebraska and purchased land in Arborville township, York county,
where he has since made his home, and where he has carried on
operations as an agriculturist with most gratifying results.

In 1853 Mr. Ballard was married
to Miss Sarah McFarland, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Frazier)
McFarland, who were natives of New York. Our subject and his wife
have four children, namely: Floyd D.; Clara A., now Mrs. O. Cole;
Frank C.; and Horatio K. The family are members of the
Congregational church, and socially Mr. Ballard in identified with
the Masonic fraternity. In politics he is a free silver Republican
and has never sought political honors. He has not only been
financially successful since coming to Nebraska, but has gained
the respect and esteem of all with whom he has come in
contact.

L.
G. JOHNSON is one of the stalwart and substantial citizens of
Butler county, residing on section 6, Linwood township, who are of
alien birth, and who have, by their own unaided exertions, raised
themselves from the state of comparative poverty in which they
came to this country to their present prosperous condition. He is
engaged in general farming and stock raising, and is one of the
well-to-do and highly respected citizens of his community.

Mr. Johnson's early home was in
Sweden, where he was born November 19, 1828, and he is a son of
John Johnson and Lena (Anderson) Johnson. At the age of twenty-two
years he took passage on a vessel bound for America, and on
reaching Rockford, Illinois, found himself seven dollars in debt
to a companion for his fare from New York. At St. Charles,
Illinois, he worked for Elisha Foot for eight dollars per month
for the first month and six dollars for the following three
months. Although this was during the harvest season of 1852, when
the work was exceedingly hard, he considered his wages good.

Mr. Johnson was married, in
1857, to Miss Ann Bracken, of Rockford, who was born in Ireland,
and was a daughter of Michael Bracken, of Staten Island, New York.
Seven children blessed this union; five, Leonard, Seward, Henry,
Lena and Dwight, all born in Illinois, and the other two, Harvey
and Howard, born in Butler county, Nebraska. The oldest son,
Leon-

456

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

ard, is engaged in farming on section , Linwood township,
Butler county; Henry is studying law, while Harvey and Howard are
preparing for the ministry. The wife and mother, who was a most
estimable lady, was called to her final rest in September, 1896,
and was laid to rest in Edholm cemetery.

Through A. J. White, who had
been a neighbor of our subject in Illinois, Mr. Johnson decided to
come to Butler county in 1871. In two covered wagons the family
drove overland to their new home, arriving in August of that year.
They brought with them five horses and four head of cattle, and on
reaching their destination Mr. Johnson traded one team, with
harness and wagon, worth $250, for eighty acres of land, on which
he has since made his home. Upon his place was a little log
shanty, 12x12 feet, which served as a shelter for the family until
a more substantial house could be erected. In his new home Mr.
Johnson has prospered, and his success is certainly well merited.
He is a highly industrious man, and of rigid and sterling
integrity, and his honesty of purpose and upright principles have
won him the respect and confidence of every one with whom he has
come in contact. He was one of the founders of the Christian
church of Edholm, and he and his family take an active and
prominent part in all church work.

AVID
WALKUP.--A reputable standing among the agriculturists of York
county, Nebraska, is accorded by all to the gentleman whose name
heads this article. He is considered one of the substantial and
highly esteemed citizens of the county. His home farm, which is
located on section 2, of Lockridge township, is one of those fine
tracts so common to the famous farming districts of the state of
Nebraska. It is given over to farming on general lines, which Mr.
Walkup carries on in the most modernized and improved methods,
thereby winning due reward for his toil and forethought. He was
one of the first settlers of Lockridge township, and has always
sanctioned any project that had, for its ultimate object, the
developing of the great natural resources of the county. He was
born February 14, 1821, in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania; and is
a son of William and Margaret (Kuntz) Walkup, who were also
natives of the Keystone state. The father was a farmer by
occupation, and died in his native state, having been the father
of eight children.

David Walkup was the sixth child
in order of birth of a family of eight, and received his education
in the common schools of Pennsylvania. When he was still a young
man be began work as a farm hand, and he made his home in his
native state until he attained his seventeenth year, when he
removed to Holmes county, Ohio, where he resided for ten years.
While a resident of the last-mentioned place he learned the
carpenter's trade with his brother, and followed that calling
there for three years. In 1846 he moved to Jefferson county, Iowa,
where he made his home for the following ten years, engaged in
farming, and in working at his trade. In August, 1862, he enlisted
in company D, Nineteenth Iowa Infantry, and served until April,
1864. He was in the Red River expedition, and participated in the
battle of Prairie Grove, and also an engagement at the mouth of
the Red River, where he received a wound, which later caused his
discharge on account of disability. After his discharge from the
army he returned to Iowa, where he remained until 1865, when he
located in Nebraska (sic) county, Nebraska, and resided there
until 1871. He then located permanently in York county, of the
state, and took up a homestead which he now owns. It was wild and
unbroken prairie when he took it, but he has brought it to a high
state of cul-

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

457

tivation, and to-day he has one of the finest farms in
the county, well improved, and adorned with a large and commodious
dwelling.

Mr. Walkup was united in
marriage in Ohio in the year 1841, to Miss Elizabeth Brewer, a
native of Pennsylvania, who died in Iowa in 1856. They were the
parents of seven children, as follows: Alphus, John, of whom a
sketch will be found on another page; Andrew, Margaret J., Sarah
E., Minerva and Susie, all of whom are still alive. Mr. Walkup
takes an active interest in the political life of the community,
and is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican
party, though he has never sought an office. He is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic. He is considered one of the most
substantial and highly respected citizens of the township in which
he resides.

HARLES
O. NORTON is a man whose successful struggle with adverse
circumstances shows what can be done by industry and economy,
especially if a sensible wife seconds his efforts to secure a home
and competence. He has been obliged to make his way in life
without any of the aids which are usually considered essential to
success, but prosperity has at length crowned his efforts and he
is now the owner of a fine farm on the southwest quarter of
section 12, township 13, range 4, Polk county.

Mr. Norton was born September
29, 1842, in Hillesocken, Sweden, and in the fall of 1849 started
for America with his parents, Olaf and Catherina (Moller) Nordeen.
While en route the mother died on a canal boat from cholera, but
the father, with this three children--Lewis, Charles O. and Kate
H.--proceeded to Henry county, Illinois, where they arrived in
September.

At three different times he
owned homes, but never lived very long in one place, spending his
time in this country in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois, and at
length returning to Hille, Sweden, where his death occurred.

Reared in Illinois, Charles O.
Norton acquired a good education in the public schools of Andover,
which he attended until eighteen years of age. On the 29th of
February, 1864, feeling that his adopted country needed his
services, he enlisted in Company A, Forty-third Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, and joined his regiment at Little Rock, Arkansas. He
took part in all the movements in which they were engaged, and was
afterward appointed warden of the military prison at Little Rock,
where he remained until mustered out of service in November, 1865.
Returning to Andover, Illinois, he turned his attention to the
more quiet pursuits of farm life.

On the 8th of October, 1866, Mr.
Norton wedded Miss Mary S. Hurty, who was born in Andover,
November 15, 1849, and was educated there. They have three
children: Eleanora H., now the wife of Albert Lind, by whom she
has three children, Hannah, Florence and Nellie; John O. N., who
has attended Bryant University at Stromsburg, and is now a student
at University Place, M. E., at Lincoln, Nebraska, and Nettie, who
completes the family. All have been liberally educated in both
Swedish and English languages.

In 1873 Mr. Norton came to Polk
county, Nebraska, and homesteaded the tract on which he still
lives. He built a small house thereon, and the first year planted
ten acres of sod corn, three of wheat and five of oats, but rented
the ground for the last two products. 1874 was the year of the
dreadful grasshopper plague, and from the twenty-three bushels of
oats which he sowed, he only reaped nineteen bushels, those
insects taking the rest. They also destroyed a lot of poplar
slips, two hundred rods of hedge and a number of apple trees which
he had set

458

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

out, and although his wife tied a tablecloth, four
double, over a pan of bread dough, they got in that. The next
year, however, Mr. Norton raised good crops and has steadily
prospered until he is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres
of rich and productive land, all under cultivation with the
exception of forty acres. He raises a fine grade of stock, and is
to-day numbered among the most thorough and systematic
agriculturists of his community. In 1888 he erected his present
comfortable residence at a cost of two thousand dollars, and
underneath it has an excellent brick cellar and also a brick
cistern. All of the improvements upon his place stand as monuments
to his thrift, industry and enterprise.

Mr. and Mrs. Norton are leading
members of the Swedish Methodist Episcopal Church, known as Swede
Plain Church, of which he is a trustee and also local preacher,
besides serving as superintendent of the Sunday school.
Fraternally he affiliates with the Grand Army post at Stromsburg,
and his political views coincide with the principles of the
Republican party except on the money question, he being in
advocate of the free coinage of silver. He has served as school
director in district No. 44 for years, has been assessor of
Pleasant Home precinct, and has been the candidate of his party
for the state legislature, and also for county treasurer. Polk
county has no more popular or influential citizen and he commands
the respect and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact either
in business or social life.

ENRY
MEINBERG, one of the most industrious, enterprising and reliable
farmers of I precinct, Seward county, his home being on section
19, is a native of Illinois, born in Winnebago county, January 2,
1849, and is a son of Conrad and Emma (Baum) Meinberg, who were
born, reared and married in Germany, where the father worked at
the shoemaker's trade for many years. On their emigration to
America they had four children and their family was later
increased by the birth of two more. They made their home in
Illinois, where the father died at the age of sixty-three years,
and the mother subsequently removed to Iowa, where she passed away
at the age of seventy-four. The farm in Illinois was divided among
the children, who are all living with the exception of one
daughter.

Reared on the old homestead,
Henry Meinberg assisted in the labors of the farm and attended the
district schools of the neighborhood. He was confirmed in the
Evangelical church at the age of fifteen. When twenty-four years
old he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Getz, who was then
twenty. Her parents, George and Mary Getz, were natives of
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and they, too, located in Illinois on
coming to the new world, operating rented land there for some
years, but finally came to Nebraska with our subject and his wife.
The father died in precinct J, Seward county, July 4, 1893, at the
age of sixty-three years, but the mother is still living on her
farm in that precinct at the age of sixty-four. On their arrival
here they purchased eighty acres of railroad land. They reared a
family of five children, four daughters and one son, of whom three
of the daughters are still living.

For two years after their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Meinberg remained in Illinois and then
boarded a train, finally landing in Lincoln, Nebraska, and thence
proceeding by teams to Seward county. In precinct I he purchased
eighty acres of land at eight dollars per acre, and for two months
they lived with Mrs. Meinberg's parents in a sod house while their
own little frame shanty, 12 x 14 feet, was being constructed. Our
subject had four hundred dollars with which he purchased lumber
for his house and barn

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

459

and also bought a few cows. He had brought with him his
team, wagon and harrow from Illinois. During the three years
following his arrival here he broke his first purchase of eighty
acres of land, and then bought an adjoining eighty acres for nine
dollars per acre. In 1898 he purchased another eighty-acre tract
for two thousand three hundred and five dollars, and now has a
valuable farm of two hundred and forty acres, which he has placed
under a high state of cultivation and improved with substantial,
buildings. With the assistance of his son he is operating the land
with good success, raising seventeen hundred bushels of corn on
fifty-five acres. Upon his place he has set out many shade trees,
also one hundred and fifty apple trees, peaches, grapes, and
fruits of all kinds.

To Mr. and Mrs. Meinberg were
born four children, three daughters and one son, namely: Mary,
George, Emma and Marie. The oldest daughter was struck by
lightning while sitting on her father's lap and died from the
injuries received. He was also stunned and one end of the house
was torn out. Among other hardships incident to pioneer life Mr.
Meinberg had his leg broken by a kick from a horse and for an hour
lay in the snow before anyone came to his aid. A storm raged
furiously for some days and the doctor was unable to reach him,
and it was about twelve weeks before the limb began to heal. In
his political affiliations he is a Democrat, and he and his family
hold membership in the Evangelical church, while in the social
circles of the community they occupy an enviable
position.

EORGE
C. FISHER.--This gentleman is a representative general farmer and
stockraiser of York county, Nebraska, who resides on an elegant
farm on section 15, of Lockridge township. He is a man who is both
widely and favorably known, and is also highly respected for his
many sterling traits of character.

Michael and Sarah (Stick)
Fisher, the parents of our subject, were both natives, of York
county, Pennsylvania, the former having been born in 1815, and the
latter in 1821. The father was a farmer by occupation and followed
that calling for many years. They were married in 1840 in
Pennsylvania, and are the parents of ten children, six of whom are
now living. In 1849 they moved to Hamilton county, Indiana, where
they resided until 1858. They then removed to St. Joseph county,
in the same state, where they still reside, the father in his
eighty-third year, and the mother in her seventy-seventh.

George C. Fisher was born April
23, 1845, in Maryland, and was given the benefit of a common
school education in the district schools of Indiana, where he
resided when a boy. He followed farming for many years and then
learned the carpenters and cabinetmaker's trade, which he followed
until 1875. In the last-mentioned year he entered the employ of
the Studebaker Wagon Works at South Bend, Indiana, where he
remained for three years. In 1880 he decided to go west and
finally settled in York county, Nebraska, on the farm on which he
now resides. His estate consists of one hundred and sixty acres of
fine land, well improved and under a high state of cultivation. It
presents a fine appearance, with a large barn and the necessary
outbuildings, and the large and commodious dwelling. In fact, as
it now stands, it is considered one of the most desirable pieces
of property in the vicinity.

Mr. Fisher was married on
January 2, 1871, to Miss Mary E. Freehafer, a native of Huntington
county, Indiana. Their union has been blessed by the birth of the
following children, who are eight in number, and of whom we have
the following record: Ivan A., born 1875; Elta L., born 1878;

460

COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.

Melvin E., born 1882; Charles C., born 1883; Jennie G.,
born 1885; Leila D., born 1887; Florence E., born 1890; and
Mildred H., born in 1893. The family areall members of the United
Brethren church, at which they are regular attendants.

In politics Mr. Fisher was a
Republican, but is now an ardent adherent of the free silver
cause. He was road overseer, and also served two terms as township
treasurer. Socially he is a member of the A. O. U. W. Mr. Fisher
is a very pleasant neighbor, is congenial and warm hearted, and
resides in one of the most hospitable homes in the
county.

.
M. BAUGH owns a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
pleasantly located on section 36, Morton township, York county,
where he has been operating successfully since 1880. He is a
thorough and skillful farmer and a man of more than ordinary
business ability. He was born in Knox county, Ohio, December 14,
1852, and is a son of Levi W. and Cassie (Parrish) Baugh, also
natives of the Buckeye state. The father, who is also a farmer by
occupation, was born in 1823, and continued to reside in the state
of his nativity until 1856, when he emigrated to Illinois, first
locating in Fulton county, and later removing to McDonough county,
where he still continues to reside. He has reared a family of four
sons, two of whom now live in York county, Nebraska.

C. M. Baugh, of this review, is
indebted to the public schools of Illinois for his educational
privileges, while his business training was obtained on the home
farm, where he early acquired a good practical knowledge of all
branches of agriculture. He continued to follow farming in that
state until 1880, which year witnessed his arrival in York county,
Nebraska. At first he leased eighty acres of school land on
section 36, Morton township, but afterward purchased eighty acres,
where he now resides. When he located thereon it was all raw
prairie, but he has brought the land to a high state of
cultivation, having added another eighty to his farm, and has
erected a comfortable residence and a good set of farm buildings,
to which each year he adds something to enhance the beauty and
value of his property.

In 1883, in Warren county,
Illinois, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Baugh and Miss Hester
Lybarger, a native of that state, and to them have been born three
children, namely: Cassie J., Lulu M. and Bertha M. Socially he is
a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and politically
is a stanch Populist, but has never cared for the honors or
emoluments of public office.

ARREN
I. LANCASTER.--As an all-round prominent man of York county, there
is probably no one of its citizens who more justly deserves the
title than Mr. Lancaster. He is yet in the prime of vigorous
manhood, intelligent and well educated, and as such is highly
esteemed and respected. He is the present sheriff of York county
and is also operating a livery business in the city of York. Our
subject was born in Adams county, Illinois, May 18, 1860, a son of
William and Isabell (Prather) Lancaster, natives of Ohio and
Indiana respectively. The father was a farmer by occupation, and
has always been engaged in that calling, but is now living in
retirement, in Adams county, Illinois, where the greater part of
his life has been spent. The mother is now dead.

Warren I. Lancaster, the subject
of this sketch, was reared on a farm and educated in the district
schools of the county of his nativity. In 1885 he migrated to York
county, Nebraska, purchased a farm